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Living Options - Historic Homes| Living Options Home

Historic Homes in Phoenix?    

Yes - Historic Districts with some great homes are located in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, and Glendale!

Map of Phoenix Historic Districts  -  See below for additional detailed info on each district.

Map of Scottsdale Town & Country Historic District

Scottsdale Village Grove Historic District Info

Map of Tempe Historic Districts

Map of Mesa Historic Districts

Historic Districs must be over 50 years old, and must get approval from the City to have a "Historic District Overlay".  Homes in historic diistricts have some tax advantages and usually have a better sense of "community" with the homes in better condition.

In Phoenix, the Historic Districst are:

ALVARADO

• In 1903, Dwight B. Heard and his wife Marie constructed a 6,000-square-foot Spanish Colonial Revival mansion they named "Casa Blanca." Located at the corner of Monte Vista and Central, the home was the cornerstone of future Alvarado and was a frequent stop for visitors and dignitaries from throughout the nation. Sensing the promise this north central location held, Heard purchased the entire quarter section of land on which his estate was located. In 1909, he subdivided the 160 acres, which ranged from Central Ave to Seventh Street and McDowell Road to Oak Street , in to 32 parcels of five acres each. Intended for upscale, estate size homes, the project, named Los Olivos, was the most prestigious of the early suburban home site subdivisions with the largest lots available. Preparing the project for sale, Heard provided numerous plantings throughout the subdivision, including hundreds of palm trees. Home styles in this area are Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman,   and Mission/Spanish Revival.

ASHLAND PLACE

• Built as a subdivision of Dwight B. Heard's "Los Olivios" subdivision, visitors will find examples of Bungalow and Period Revival built in the 1920s.

BRENTWOOD

• Period of Significance: 1926-1956

CAMPUS VISTA

• Period of Significance: 1939-1956

CHEERY LYNN

• On January 28, 1928, a tract of land described as Lot 1 Beverly Heights was subdivided under the name of Cheery Lynn. Cheery Lynn was promoted as ultra modern, progressive, and indicative of the decline of streetcars, heralded as on the road to the new Arizona Biltmore. Subdivided by William Fosburg, the project contained 89 lots, 60 feet wide along 60-foot streets. While early Phoenix developments had concentrated on the sale of lots, Cheery Lynn represented the newest trend of packaging completed homes in a neighborhood stamped with a defined character and identity.
• Fosburg and his designer and superintendent of construction, Marion E. Carr, conceived Cheery Lynn as a neighborhood of "English type homes".   Responding to the architectural trends of the time, the homes were of English Tudor and English Cottage Styles. Compact, with rectangular and L-shaped plans, these styles are usually single story, brick homes that feature massive chimneys, half-timbering and gabled roofs, which vary from the medium pitch of the English Cottage Style to the very steeply gabled English Tudor.
• Fourteen Tudor Revival homes were constructed in Cheery Lynn in 1928. This early construction, when teamed with subsequent styles, has left Cheery Lynn with its most striking feature a dramatic interplay of the angles and pitches displayed by the roofs of competing architectural styles.
• In 1932, in response to the advance of the Depression into Phoenix , Fosburg engineered a trade of his Cheery Lynn properties with Peoria cotton ranch owner, H.M. Stough. A former builder in the Los Angeles area, Strough appeared enthusiastic about the Phoenix housing market and put his talent as a builder to work in Cheery Lynn.
• Teaming with the O'Malley Building Materials Company, Strough worked his way through the Depression one house at a time. Sustained by advances of materials and money from O'Malley, Strough would construct a single home, while housing his family in the structure's garage. After a few months, construction of another new house would commence. The Strough family would move its residence to each new structure as the cycle continued. Using proceeds from rental and sales to repay O'Malley, Strough eventually would construct 23 homes within Cheery Lynn until his death in 1938.
• Under Strough' s influence, Cheery Lynn blossomed with an abundance of parapets, stucco, and red clay tile. Trips to California kept Strough abreast of the latest trends in architectural styling. Monterey and other Spanish Revivals had eclipsed the English styles, and Stough' s transplant of the Monterey look would provide Cheery Lynn with its most dominant style. Constructed primarily of block, a typical home featured low walls and wing walls, some forming courtyards; vigas (wood beams); arches; and rooflines highlighted by red tile.

CORONADO

• Coronado's architectural significance comes from its diverse collection of residential styles, predominantly Bungalow, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Tudor Revival that dominated Phoenix neighborhoods from the 1910s through 1930s.  On March 9, 1908, Dwight B. Heard petitioned for the first subdivision in what would become the Coronado neighborhood.   The initial intent was to build a "streetcar suburb" along the trolley line, however land values were determined by the homesite's proximity to Central Avenue . Coronado 's distance to Central Avenue and to downtown resulted in more modest building than other neighborhoods. The cost of a residence varied, but generally, Coronado was a working-class neighborhood for young families. Lots could be had for $375 to $650 including utility hookups and gravel streets. Originally a house and lot cost from $1,900 to $2,700. 

COUNTRY CLUB PARK

• In 1880 Charles H.C. Orme filled a homestead patent that included the land upon which Country Club Place would be built.. Orme held the land for only six months, then sold the northern half to Thomas W. Pemberton, who moved to Arizona with the intent of retiring to raise race horses on his new land, however it sold undeveloped tothe Aetna Investment Corp, the original developers of Country Club Park. 
• Consistent with FHA policies and standards, Country Club Park was laid out with curved, non-through streets; three-way intersections; consistent building placement; and the focal point of the neighborhood, a 2-½ acre, and elliptical park.  Opening in October of 1939, the debut of Country Club Park coincided with the plunge of Europe into World War II. For the next two years, the development thrived despite the war as 50 percent of the lots were developed through speculative sales and the efforts of numerous builders. Country Club Park was one of the last large residential subdivisions in the city to be developed in this manner. Before the projects' completion, increased scrutiny by the FHA, teamed with the effects of war, would bring an end to conventional development for the remainder of the War years. 
• As with all other features, the architectural style of Country Club Park was dictated by the standards of the FHA. Simple, functional, and inexpensive, the Ranch Style home emerged as the predominant architectural style in Country club Park. In fact, various version of the Ranch Style home became the prototype for FHA construction and would dominate the landscape of the country over the next three decades. Ranch styles would eventually account for 97 percent of the 142 homes within the Country Club Park subdivision. Complementing the French Provincial, California , and Transitional Ranch Styles are several examples of the Spanish Eclectic and Art Moderne Ranch Styles. Basic features and forms are common to most of these variations of the Ranch Style, although Art Modern Ranch homes are particularly distinct. In general, they are one-story residences with low to medium pitched gable or hipped roofs, brick walls that are sometimes stucco-ed. They also have metal-framed windows and often a porch over the entry or a broad eaves overhang to shade the entry walkway. The Spanish Colonial Ranch often has a hallmark red tiled roof, white stucco walls and a massive stucco or brick chimney stack.
• During the World War, All "non-essential" construction was halted, and development was put under direction of the War Production Board (WPB) with the interaction of three other federal agencies. Local businessmen formed the Eureka Investment Company to continue the development of Country Club Park under the auspices of the WPB. Still attempting to honor the uniformity sought by FHA guidelines, the architectural firm of Lescher and Mahoney was retained to match the style of existing residences and plan of Country Club Park. Despite the limitations posed by wartime rationing, the substitution of materials allowed for construction of modest homes with only minor architectural adjustments. By the end of the war, in 1946, the subdivision of Country Club Park was complete - only seven years since its inception.

 

  DEL NORTE PLACE

• On the 21ts of April 1871, William A. Hancock filed the first homestead patent   that consisted of a quarter section of land was then but a remote piece of desert, miles from the infant settlement of Phoenix ..Territorial Veterinarian Dr. James Collier Norton had served under seven governors, overseeing the health of the district's growing cattle industry. With statehood granted, he resigned his government post, establishing a dairy and constructing a home on the historic Hancock homestead, which Norton had purchased at the turn of the century. .A visionary, Dr. Norton had anticipated residential development on the southern half of this land. Shortly after purchase, he planted prospective grid streets with tamarack, ash, and orange trees. With completion of his home on the property's northern edge, a large two story Mission Style structure he called Del Norte House, the scene was set for development.   On April 3, 1927, Del Norte Place was opened to the public.
• Platted between 15th and 17th Avenues, the original Del Norte subdivision was created in 1927 and contained 84 lots bounded by Lewis Avenue on the north and Encanto Boulevard on the south. Two years later, a second subdivision would extend the district to its current northern boundary at Virginia Avenue . Promoted as the "beautiful subdivision" and "the countryside west of town," Del Norte was conceived as a neighborhood of English cottage Style homes, an architectural revival that was gaining nationwide popularity in the late 1920s. The mature trees and vegetation of Del Norte reinforced this English imagery and helped promote the style throughout Phoenix .  
• The homes, priced at $5,000 to $7,000, were constructed of red birch with contrasting brick trim and steeply gabled roofs. Del Norte was off the trolley line, and as many owners were already driving automobiles, most homes were constructed with accompanying garages.
• Teaming with Dr. Norton in the early development of Del Norte was   J.Allen Ginn, Sr., . who served as architect builder, and sales agent for the initial phases of the project and was featured prominently in promotion of the development. Gin's architectural styling was on the cutting-edge of a rapidly shifting market and helped secure the early success of Del Norte. Ten houses were completed in Del Norte from 1930 to 1931 with construction of the next ten spread over five more years. The slowdown halted the efforts of Norton and Ginn, and the team ceased to be a force in the completion of Del Norte.
• In 1934, Dr. Norton sold the remainder of the parcel to the City of Phoenix for the development of the Encanto Golf Course. This land was joined with other parcels to create the city's first large recreational park, which opened in 1937. The public project created a new identity for the neighborhood. Surrounded on three sides by greenbelt, the neighborhood was now promoted as " Del Norte Place ?In the Heart of the Park."
• The years from 1936 through 1941 brought the Del Norte neighborhood the most rapid development in its history. A total of 77 of the district's 151 homes were constructed during this period. As FHA financing brought new life to Del Norte, FHA design standards brought a new look. Simplified versions of the Period Revival styles emerged. They were accompanied by adorned versions of earlier Period Revival styles, notably Spanish Colonial Revival and Monterey Styles representing more regional, southwestern influences. These homes were typically one story, stucco-ed brick dwellings with low pitched tile roofs. Ornamentation was generally limited to modest tile work, accentuating rooflines and doorways.   During this phase, an alternative to the Period Revivals styles also gained in popularity. The early Ranch Style house, a simple brick structure with projecting gabled wing was an economical design, fashioned to meet the FHA guidelines. The "L" shaped design was typically ornamented with brick work and trademark small, circular window beside the front door. This style gradually eclipsed the Period Revivals to become the second most prevalent style of architecture in the district.
• From 1942 through 1945, Del Norte saw the construction of 21 homes under the bureaucratic scrutiny of no fewer than four separate federal agencies. Homes developed under the federal war programs were limited to those constructed for war industry workers. House dimensions and the number of rooms were dictated by family size and ages.   By the early 1940s, the architecture in Del Norte had evolved to the style of French Provincial Ranch. Characterized by the "L" shaped or irregular floor plan, a low pitched hip roof sheathed with wood shakes, and steel casement windows, 24 of these popular homes were under construction in the neighborhood in 1941. While the war slowed construction, the Ranch Style took firm hold, and its variations would soon come to dominate future construction.   Although construction continued in Del Norte through 1963, the last stage of concentrated development occurred in the late 1940s and the early 1950s.   This final phase was yet another evolution of the Ranch Style home. A simplified form of the French Provincial Ranch was christened the California Ranch. A gable identifies these homes or hip roof extended over the entire house, brick wainscoting around the exterior wall, and a board and batten, or painted brick on the upper wall surfaces. Thousands of these homes were built in Phoenix during the 1950s, personifying Phoenix as a postwar, suburbanized city.  
• In 1992, residents formed the Del Norte Neighborhood Association to promote restoration and preservation of the district's heritage - ensuring a solid future for Dr. Norton's "beautiful sedition" in the 21st Century Phoenix .

EARLL PLACE

• Period of Significance: 1927-1942, Bungalow/Craftsman

EAST ALVARADO

• Period of Significance: 1929-1942, Mission/Spanish Revival

EAST EVERGREEN

• Period of Significance: 1909-1929, Pueblo , Bungalow/Craftsman

ENCANTO - PALMCROFT

• Dwight B. Heard and William G. Hartranft, bought 80 acres from the half-section estate of James W. Dorris to develop as Palmcroft (croft is an English term which means "little garden"). The plan they devised, in conjunction with their surveyor, Harry E. Jones, was a picturesque scheme of curving streets. The plat was recorded on April 27, 1927. By the end of that summer, streets had been graded and the first two model homes completed. This was Palmcroft Drive , the circle on the East. It proved an immediate success, and a year later a second Palmcroft, "Way" was platted to the West. The new Palmcroft formally opened early in 1929.
• The Palmcroft subdivisions were on the south side of Palm Lane . The Encanto subdivision, to be developed on the north side of Palm Lane was the first major undertaking in real estate development by Lloyd C. Lakin and George T. Peter. These two successful businessmen also had Harry E. Jones draw up their plot plan. It was recorded on October 2, 1928. By the formal opening on Sunday, January 22, 1929, all the public utilities had been installed, streets graded and curbs, and gutters and sidewalks were in place.
• Although the Encanto subdivision originally was intended to cover 80 acres bound by 7th Avenue to 15th Avenue , Palm Lane to Encanto Boulevard , only the 40 acres west of 7th Avenue were developed initially. The West Encanto Circle , designed to be identical to the East Circle , was delayed by the Great Depression. Except for a few significant homes along Palm Lane, West of 11th Avenue and two on 11th Avenue , built in 1932-33, these subdivisions experienced severe slow-downs in development. Housing starts ground to a halt! As in the rest of the country, the federal government played a central role in reviving Phoenix 's economy. Programs of the Federal Housing Administration were first introduced to Phoenix in October of 1934. In that same significant year, West Encanto was replatted with a number of acres sold to the City of Phoenix for parkland. Hence the designation West Encanto amended for the area north of Palm Lane and West of 11th Avenue . Many of the houses in the Encanto-Palmcroft District were built in the years following using FHA-insured loans.

    

ENCANTO MANOR

• Period of Significance: 1945-1959

ENCANTO VISTA

• Period of Significance: 1943-1953

FAIRVIEW PLACE

• Period of Significance: 1928-1948, late 19th and 20th Century Revival architecture

F.Q. STORY

• Francis Quarles Story, for whom the neighborhood was named, was involved in the construction of Grand Avenue in 1887 and its subsequent streetcar line. He is also credited with the advertising campaign which made the Sunkist Orange famous.
• In 1920, when development of the F. Q. Story neighborhood began, it was advertised as a streetcar suburb, being close to the Grand Avenue and Kenilworth carlines. The first houses were clustered by the streetcar line at the eastern edge of the neighborhood. As building proceeded westward and the auto became more common, houses began to feature detached garages and porte cocheres.
  The last development phase began in 1927, encompassing eighty acres from 11th to 15th Avenues, between McDowell Road and Roosevelt Street . Development hit its peak in 1930 with the construction of 133 new houses, only to falter as the Depression hit Phoenix . Construction declined, but by 1938, approximately seventy-five percent of the F.Q. Story Addition had been completed.

 

GARFIELD

• The Garfield neighborhood has two of the largest historic districts in the city of Phoenix : the Garfield [PDF] and the North Garfield [PDF]. Garfield was developed from 1883 to 1931 and is the oldest historic neighborhood still relatively intact in Phoenix . Garfield was annexed to the original Phoenix Town site in the 1800's, and most homes in Garfield were constructed from the 1890s to the 1930s. Architectural styles include Craftsman, Classic and California Bungalow styles, Pyramid Cottages, Period Revival, variants of Southwest styles, Prairie-influenced styles, and International.

IDYLWILDE PARK

• Period of Significance: 1928-1941, Late 19th and 20th Centruy Revivals
  

LA HACIENDA

• Period of Significance: 1926-1954

LOS OLIVOS

• Period of Significance: 1906-1935

MARGARITA PLACE

• Period of Significance: 1927-1949

MEDLOCK PLACE

• Period of Significance: 1926-1956, late 19th and 20th Century Revivals

NORTH ENCANTO

• Period of Significance: 1939-1950, late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Modern

NORTH GARFIELD

• Period of Significance: 1887-1942

OAKLAND

• Period of Significance: 1887-1951

PHOENIX HOMESTEADS

• Period of Significance: 1935-1937, pueblo

PIERSON PLACE

• Period of Significance: 1924-1956

ROOSEVELT 

• Expansion of the city into the Roosevelt District spans the years 1893 to 1930. The neighborhood developed through the construction of nine distinct additions. Kenilworth and Bennett Place each contained well over 200 lots; Planks Addition had just ten; McDowell Place, fourteen; and the other five (Simms Addition, Bennett and Plank's Addition, Chester Place, Chelsea Place and the Blount Addition to Chelsea Place) ranged from 26 to 134 lots.
• Simms Addition
  Colonel J.T. Simms came to Arizona in 1881 as a contractor with the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company. After building the Arizona Canal with W.J. Murphy between 1883 and 1884, Simms retired to run his ranch and manage his real estate interests. Several years later, some land Simms owned was surveyed and on June 26, 1893, a plat was filed for the area bounded by Central Avenue , Roosevelt, Third Avenue , and Moreland. Simms himself later lived in the area at 1008 North Central. He left Phoenix in 1896 after a sordid divorce and died in Chicago .   By 1901, residences fronting Central Avenue had been constructed on all but two lots. Growth in the balance of the Simms Addition averaged only one home per year until 1920. Then, during the booming twenties, all remaining lots but one were developed
• Bennett Place
  Guy Bennett was a cattle dealer and real estate speculator who moved to Phoenix from Missouri in about 1884. The area known as Bennett Place was platted by Guy and Sadie Bennett in December 1894. While not geographically the largest of the Roosevelt Neighborhood's nine additions, Bennett Place had the greatest number of lots, 276. By 1913, growth within the Addition slowed considerably. During the 1920s, developers constructed a number of duplexes and apartments in the area hoping to attract a portion of Phoenix ' large number of winter visitors and booming tourist trade. Instead, seizing their chance to live in a more affluent area, an increasing number of blue-collar and middle-class workers made their homes in these new rental properties.
• Plank's Addition
  First platted by Levi L. Plank in 190 1, this small addition consisted of only ten lots along West McKinley between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. No development occurred in Plank's Addition until the 1910 extension of the streetcar line along Fifth Avenue . Still, it wasn't until 1929 that all ten lots were finally developed. The residents were entirely blue-collar workers who lived in bungalows or duplexes.
• Kenilworth Addition
  The 80-acre area was known as the Hubbard Tract until February 1910, when A.G. Hubbard sold the land to developer H.I. Latham. Two weeks later, Latham sold the property to the Hartranft-Tweed Real Estate Company, which filed the plat for the Addition in December. In February 1911, Kenilworth was annexed into the City of Phoenix.  Kenilworth developed into an exclusive residential area due to three major influences: the extension of the Phoenix Railway streetcar line north along Fifth Avenue through the Addition; a vigorous advertising campaign, which went so far as to state that "the air is better in Kenilworth"; and the construction of Kenilworth School in 1920. The streetcar made the area very accessible and initial development in Kenilworth was concentrated along the Fifth Avenue streetcar extension. Palm trees were planted along the streets, which were graded, lined with caliche and featured cement sidewalks. Building restrictions during WWI slowed growth in the addition between 1916 and 1920. During the decade that followed, the opening of Kenilworth School and a new concept of low down payments and low monthly installments offered by Home Builders, the primary developer, attracted young families to the area. Rapid growth ensued and the Addition's 228 lots were completely built up by 1938.
• McDowell Place
  T.M. Burroughs filed the plat for the area encompassing the south side of West McDowell between Central and Third Avenues on January 31, 1910. Despite the small size of the area (which contained just fourteen lots), it was not completely developed until 1930. Its most spectacular residence was an English Cottage Revival built for Helen Anderson, widow of insurance company organizer Carl H. Anderson, at 149 West McDowell Road . In 1923, the Arizona Republican described the house as one of the city's most beautiful homes
• Chester Place
  Platted in 1909 by the Elliot Evans Company, Chester Place consists of 52 lots on two blocks.. Development of this Addition proceeded somewhat more rapidly than the others in the Roosevelt Neighborhood, being completed by 1930. Chester Place was a very affluent area whose residents included doctors, lawyers and businessmen.
• Chelsea Place
  This relatively small parcel, spanning West Lynwood and West Willetta between Central and Third Avenues, was annexed to the city in 1913. H.F. Latham, a Phoenix Promoter and owner of a real estate firm, purchased the land from the estate of William E. Thorne on May 20, 1907, and filed a plat the following July. Eight lots known as Latham Place , between Central and Third Avenues, sold within two days without any advertisement whatsoever. The remainder of the tract was resurveyed into 84 lots and development began in 1912. Chelsea Place was hailed by the Arizona Republican as "the most expensive and artistic development yet attempted in Phoenix ." To enhance its aura of exclusiveness, elaborate street entrances patterned after Los Angeles ' exclusive Lafayette Square were constructed. Made of cast concrete to simulate dressed sandstone, these gateways unfortunately no longer exist. Chelsea Place was promoted as a showplace residential development and attracted many affluent residents. However, Home Builders, the primary developer, sold homes on an installment plan with a low down payment, bringing home ownership within reach of the less affluent as well.
• Blount Addition
  Platted in March 1919, by Frank J. Blount and W.C. Ellis as the Blount Addition to Chelsea Place , Frank Blount was a rancher who had lived on the property facing Central Avenue since 1908. William Ellis was a successful physician and surgeon who founded Deaconess Hospital (later to be renamed Good Samaritan Hospital ). Development in the Addition proceeded slowly, with eight of the 40 lots still unoccupied by 1930. Its residents were mostly white-collar professionals, although the area was not known for the elitism of Chelsea Place or Kenilworth .
• Neighborhood Architecture
  As was typical of a "streetcar' suburb, most of Roosevelt 's lots are narrow and deep, minimizing the distance residents must walk to reach transportation. Architecturally, the Roosevelt Neighborhood has some of the finest examples of early twentieth century residential architecture in Phoenix . The most common building type in the area is the California Bungalow, which dominates most of the district's streetscape. Among these relatively plain homes also are found many finely detailed Craftsman Bungalows and Period Revival houses.

ROOSEVELT PARK

• Period of Significance 1924-1942

VILLA VERDE

• Period of Significance: 1928-1940

WILLO

• Willo was once the epitome of suburbia - a collection of subdivisions on the outskirts of the small, but thriving metropolis of Phoenix . The Willo neighborhood between 7th and Central Avenues can be divided into two sections. J. P. Holcomb used a Homestead Patent in 1878 to acquire and settle the southern portion of Willo between Encanto Blvd. and McDowell. Mr. Holcomb acquired the northern portion, between Thomas Rd. and Encanto Blvd. in 1886 through a Timber Culture Land Patent.
• For the next 20 years or so, the land was primarily for agricultural purposes and lay on the outskirts of town. In the early 1900's, four subdivisions were platted, containing home sites with long narrow lots. In the early 1920s, Home Builders, a residential construction firm, built 41 homes in the Bungalow style. Standards were set for residential construction, and "exhibition houses" (now called model homes) were developed to market the new construction. Most of the building activity in Willo during this period occurred in the N. Kenilworth and Broadmoor subdivisions, and included a "Spanish Rancho Home" exhibition house.
• During the 1930's the Period Revival movement brought tremendous variety in architectural styles, including Tudor Revival, Greek Revival, American Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Pueblo Revival. However, the Depression brought construction to a near standstill. The mid to late 1930s and the development of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) brought construction back to Willo. Construction from this period and later years often featured French Provincial and Monterey styles, with an architectural design that would eventually become what we know today as the Ranch Style house. Construction was also more standardized due to the influence of the FHA and other government-imposed standards. Most of these newer homes are found in the northern section of Willo.
• In all, 22 separate subdivisions were platted and developed in Willo by various entrepreneurs from the turn of the century up to the beginning of WWII. Eventually, with the growth of Phoenix over the last century, the individual subdivisions platted by early developers were forgotten and the area blended into one cohesive whole. Unfortunately, the amazing growth of the city resulted in the encroachment of commercial development on what were once quiet suburbs. In the 1980s, residents of Willo successfully lobbied for status as a special conservation district, achieving historic status and assuring that this beautiful part of Phoenix history will be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.

 

WINDSOR SQUARE

• The Phoenix subdivision which would eventually become Windsor Square was first announced on Feb. 5, 1929, with a banner headline on the front page of the Phoenix Evening Gazette that read "Home Project to Involve Millions." Originally owned by Mrs. Margaret Barringer and E. J. Bennitt, it was purchased by the Owens-Dinmore Company for approximately $150,000. The property extended from Camelback Road to Colter Street and from Central Avenue to 7th Street , with the exclusion of the lot at Central and Camelback. Its location was touted for proximity to the Westward Ho Hotel and the "new" Arizona Biltmore as well as to Brophy College , " Arizona 's newest educational institution."
• The owners of Owens-Dinmore, L.D. Owens and H.C. Dinmore, organized their real estate firm five months prior to purchasing the Bennitt property. After the purchase was announced, they quickly named the property and set the formal opening date of Feb. 17,1929; Holmquist and Maddock, a Phoenix engineering firm, and W. Lee Woolett of Albany , NY , were retained to design the subdivision. Also retained as a consultant was John R. Case of Case and Hughes in Los Angeles , a firm specializing in subdivisions. He said, "The Windsor Square community will stand out as one of the very finest home communities in the entire southwest, incorporating ideas which have proven highly successful in the finest select colonies in America today." Improvements were to include curbs, sidewalks, ornamental lights, landscaping and a high-pressure water system.   A Tudor-style sales office was constructed in record time, and more than 5,000 visitors attended the pre-opening inspection of 25 miniature model homes. The models were a product of Meidler Studios of Pasadena and were constructed under the supervision of architect Alfred Meidler, to represent the Spanish, English, Italian and Norman architecture projected for the subdivision. Sales manager Ardo Peterson announced that construction of 20 homes would soon follow.
• Opening of the subdivision actually followed one week later, on Feb. 24, with a large balloon floating over the tract of 270 home sites. By the first week in March, five more models had been added to the display of miniatures, and developers announced that Lincoln Finance Company would build 12 homes. A May 4 Phoenix Evening Gazette ad announced that lots could be purchased for as low as $1,100, and a week later the Republican featured a drawing of the first residence, to be built for Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Dinmore. That first May also featured a home-building show with displays open day and night, along with the announcement that lots had been purchased by a prominent Arizona cowboy artist, a doctor, and the manager of the Country Club Estates.  While articles and large ads appeared weekly in both The Arizona Republican and The Phoenix Evening Gazette and the developers gave glowing progress reports, subtle signs of problems began to surface. Sales manager Ardo Peterson was replaced by S. E. Taylor, who announced a series of drawings to attract visitors and buyers, despite reporting sales of five or six lots a week. In July, Owens-Dinmore announced the closure of its downtown office and the discontinuance of its brokerage business during the summer so that the "officials ... could devote all of their time to Windsor Square ." The July 20 Phoenix Evening Gazette showed photographs of the first five houses being built, at what are now 234, 314, and 350 East Pasadena; 693 East Colter; and 520 East Orange. It also announced property which had been purchased by Louis Page of Page's Ginger Ale, one of the "foremost business men of Phoenix ." A home at 248 East Orange , originally announced to be built for I. D. Owens, was later featured as a model home in October, with many advertisements in The Gazette and The Republican. In November it was offered for sale.   In August, The Phoenix Evening Gazette reported the completion of "one of the state's finest boulevard systems" with the use of "Penetration Macadam" to pave the streets of Windsor Square . Photos accompanied a detailed description of the process. In November, the purchase of 350 East Pasadena by cowboy artist Jack Van Ryder was announced. He and his wife were reported to be the first residents of Windsor Square .   Another model in the subdivision (314 East Pasadena ) opened in December 1929, and the advertisement for it was the last to appear for Windsor Square for almost a decade.
• A small story in the Sunday Arizona Republican on March 10, 1930 announced that an auction sale of lots had begun the previous Friday. Prices on lots varied from $3,100 for large lots on Central to $500 for small lots facing 7th Street . Seven years later, a small classified ad announced that at last some of the lots in Windsor Square had been released by the court and were for sale for $300 - $750. Apparently, Owens and Dinmore had suffered financial setbacks, along with the rest of the country, as the 1920s came to a close. A brief story a year and a half later verified that eight years of litigation had come to an end, and Mrs. Margaret Barringer held clear title to 181 undeveloped lots. The Jan. 29,1939 Republican reported that development of the tract would resume and that 12 "pretentious" homes had been built there prior to the depression.   One of the first homes to be built, as lots became available in the late '30s, was the Christy residence (250 E. Medlock), an adobe brick territorial style house. Early photographs show two homes north of it, on what is now the south side of Orange Drive, as well as the home at 248 E. Orange, which was one of the models advertised in 1929. Another noteworthy home built during this period was the Lutfy residence, at what is now 5050 N. 2nd Street .
• Ads for lots began to appear with regularity during early 1939, and then news stories began to appear describing the rapid development of the tract, as well as specific homes being built. Agents for the development were Frank Mosshamer and Peter Block. At this time, a number of homes on Orange were designed and constructed by the contracting firm of Wilkinson and Conger. In February 1940, a classified ad appeared for a home on Colter Street , built by William Rasmussen. Rasmussen went on to build a considerable number of homes on Colter, as well as in the adjacent subdivision to the north, Lamson Part 1.
• Throughout 1940, classified ads and feature stories about homes in Windsor Square appeared frequently in the Arizona Republic , along with numerous ads for FHA housing. The number of ads and articles declined noticeably in 1941, and by 1942, new construction in Windsor Square came to a standstill because of World War II. At the close of the war, veterans were the target of real estate advertising, as institutions and builders competed for the returning GIs' business. At last, the infill of Windsor Square was completed.     Windsor Square is a neighborhood whose development was interrupted by the forces of history. The subdivision was conceived during a burst of building activity in Phoenix in the late 1920s, only to be brought to a halt by the Crash of 1929 and the subsequent depression into which the country plunged. As FHA financing became available to help bring back the nation's economy, Windsor Square emerged from a long legal battle to begin a new round of building. Once again, history intervened, and World War II stopped all building in Phoenix . Windsor Square languished until returning GIs created another building boom in Phoenix , and Windsor Square at last became a completed subdivision.

WOODLAND

• Period of Significance: 1880-1935

WOODLEA

• Period of Significance: 1928-1949

YAPLE PARK

• Period of Significance: 1928-1940